FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Michael Penix Jr. will start at quarterback for the Falcons in the team’s Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers.
The move comes after Atlanta opened the 2026 season 0-2. In the last two games, the Falcons are the only offense in the league that has not appeared in the red zone.
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Penix had surgery in early November 2025 after he tore his ACL midway through the season. He missed the final seven games.
He returned to practice in a limited way through the spring and most of training camp. The Falcons medically cleared him for 11-on-11 work before the third and final week of the preseason.
Penix had hoped he would be ready for the opener if the team needed him, but he told coach Kevin Stefanski he was not there yet before the game in Pittsburgh.
Cooper Rush started the last two games for Atlanta. After he accounted for three turnovers in the Week 2 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Falcons took him out in the third quarter and put in rookie Jack Strand.
Penix will make his first start of 2026 on Thursday night.
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